French speakers in South Africa




Francophones en Afrique du Sud
French speakers





Nobody can bring together a nation that has 265 types of cheese complained General Charles de Gaulle

France has actually over 400 different cheeses !		 France is the largest Western european nation. It has an estimated population of over 62 million with a literacy rate of 99.0% for those of 15 years and older.


Entry requirements

Holders of South African passports need a Schengen visa to enter France, for the latest information on the requirements, consult the French Consulate in Johannesburg.


Area and boundaries

France consists of a total area of 547,030 sq km and has borders with Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km


Paris

Paris, one of the grandest cities in the world is certainly one of the most beautiful. Originally known as Lutetia, it was founded in 300 BC on the Ile de la Cité by the Parisii tribe. It was renamed Paris by the Romans in 360 AD.


Administrative regions

France is divided into 22 administrative regions: Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur and Rhone-Alpes.


Climate

France is generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral


French holidays

The French generally get 5 weeks (and more) leave per year as well as these public holidays
  • January 1 - Nouvel An - On new year's eve there is usually a big dinner or theatre outing
  • Easter - Pâques - without the "bunny" as it is the bells that drop the easter eggs in the garden.
  • Easter monday - Lundi de Pâques - the day after Easter
  • May 1 - Fête du Travail - workers day when one offers lilly of the valleyd to everyone
  • May 8 - Victoire de 1945 - Armistice day to celebrate the end of WWII
  • Ascension - Ascension - on a thursday 40 days after Easter
  • Whit monday - Lundi de Pentecôte - on a monday 50 days after Easter
  • July 14th - Fête nationale - celebrating the revolution with a big military parade on the Champs Elysées
  • August 15th - l'Assomption
  • November 1st - Toussaint - All saints day
  • November 11th - Armistice de 1918 - Armistice day to celebrate the end of WWI
  • December 25th - Noël - Christmas day
If one of the above-mentioned holidays falls on a Thursday or a Tuesday, you can get a 4-day week-end by taking only one day off !

School Holidays - French schoolchildren and teachers have five holidays a year! One week at the end of October, two weeks at Christmas, two more in February, two in spring, and the whole of the summer in July and August.



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Francophones en Afrique du Sud. All rights reserved. Disclaimer